804/803S vs Sonus Faber Grand Piano Domus

[smjc99]

I know the 804S/SF grand Piano Domus are close in pricing

I listened this weekend to SF GP Domus as full range with Krell Showcase amplification and Showcase processor

I also listened to my current favorite 802d with Classe Delta 5200 Amplification and classe SSP 300 and also 804S with Rotel gear and also thiel cs 2.4 with B&k Reference gear

1) 802D with Classe: Smooth , Dynamic and engaging as we all know- Very addictive sound ( makes lot of music interesting to listen, same thing I found with SF GP )



2) Thiel cs 2.4 with B&k - Good but little fatiguing and not very musical. The reviews were great but to my ears little dry sounding and felt it may give me listening fatigue

3) SF GP domus with Krell Showcase: The spkrs in Full range had plenty of bass, the mid range was seductive and highs were very easy to hear and very nice looking spkrs in Piano Gloss black - found them better than 804S IMHO

i am trying to figure out if I would appreciate the 802d's with Classe in terms of better dynamics or pickup SF GP domus with krell show case electronics and save some cash


Anyone has experience listening to SF GP Domus or Krell Show case electronics ?

Thanks

[dknightd]

Buy what you like. Ignore what other people like, unless you know you like the same thing. I have no idea what a SF GP Domus is, so, you can probably ignore my advice as well. Just buy what you can afford and sound best to YOU.

edit: my post is probably a waste of time for both of us. . . :rofl:

[Aussie Geoff]

smjc99,

Listen again... In Aussie the Grand Piano Domus are about $5000 comapared to about $8000 for the 804s (different importers with way different mark-ups...).. Any way I have listened to the Domus's very carefully and found that they had quite (to my ears) a warm coloured midrange - making vocals initially sound lush, however once you picked up the colouration - It was impossible for me to ignore... I was actually disappointed with them compared to the more expensive Sonus Fabers... Basically the Domus range is their 3rd from the top range (second from the bottom) and is (to my ears) more comparable to the B&W 600 series (which they compare favourably to) than the 800 series...

Though I will add that the Domus's sounded better and less coloured, with better amplification - so I'm sure they sounded close to their best on the Krell's you listenned to them on..

That aside – the Sonus Faber Domus range look stunning and if you like the sound having heard it again - buy - sound is personal...

Geoff

[tboooe]

smjc99:

I extensively listened to the SF Domus and all their other speakers with a Pass Labs 250.5 amp. I have to agree with Aussie Geoff. The sound is very nice, sweet, warm, oooozing with sweetness, even with the Pass Labs amps which are known (like the Krells) for being razor sharp and almost edgy. Though I did find the Domus to be extremely easy to listen to I ultimately decided that they were too polite. These would be great speakers used in the background. They are just not engaging enough for my tastes. Listening to the SF makes we want to get a book and curl up under a blanket a read. B&W makes me want to sit up and actively listen to the artistry of music. I think the SF are for the passive listener who just wants to sit back and relax while B&W is for the active listener who wants hear every nuance of the song and appreciates even the smallest detail.

just my opinion...if you like them go for it!

[lvhung]

Krell sound much better with Sonus faber